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Thursday, February 09, 2012
Celemony Melodyne Editing Software Awarded Technical Grammy
At the upcoming 54th annual Grammy Awards, the nod for Technical Grammy will go to Melodyne editing software from Celemony.
Since its release more than a decade ago, Melodyne has become a valuable tool for studio professionals, gaining recognition as one of the most powerful and unique audio editors available. PreSonus Studio One software is the only digital audio workstation software to fully and seamlessly integrate Melodyne into the program.
Producer and songwriter A.R. Rahman has called Melodyne a milestone in audio processing, saying, “Melodyne has completely changed how I record music. With Melodyne one can seamlessly correct out-of-tune notes in a piano track, change the chords in a harmonic accompaniment after it’s been recorded, or manipulate the timing within notes. The creation of music is enriched by this technology.”
PreSonus Studio One integrates Melodyne so tightly that it becomes essentially part of the program. Melodyne’s editing window opens within Studio One, and edits created in Melodyne can be immediately auditioned within Studio One, without cumbersome porting of files between the two programs.
“PreSonus has long recognized the unparalleled power Melodyne brings to audio editing, and we knew early on that integrating it into Studio One was a big part of creating the next generation of DAW software,” states Jim Odom, PreSonus co-founder, president and chief strategy officer. “We’re truly excited that the Recording Academy has recognized Celemony with this tremendous award, and we’re proud to be associated with such an innovative team.”
TELEFUNKEN Presents New Multi-Track Microphone Session Files (Includes Audio)
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik is now offering access to multi-track recording sessions with a variety of musical artists.
The latest addition to the TELEFUNKEN multi-track session file series was recorded at Germano Studios during the 131st Audio Engineering Society Convention in New York City. Engineered by Germano Studios staff engineer Kenta Yonesaka through the studio’s SSL Duality console, with assistance from Brendan Morawski of TELEFUNKEN.
The artists featured during this recording session were songwriter Andrew Cole backed by female vocalist Chantel Upshaw, guitarist Lee Sylvester, drummer Bryan Kelly, bassist Bill Carleton, and pianist Tony Parlapiano. Cole’s original song “Dead Roses” is an acoustic folk-pop song with a breathy male lead vocal and a haunting female accompaniment.
Some of the highlights heard on these files feature several TELEFUNKEN classics employed for vocals. The ELA M 251, U48, C12, as well as the R-F-T AR-51 and CU-29 have become the norm for vocal duties on the multi-track session series. Unconventionally, a pair of R-F-T AK-47 MkII microphones were placed in direct comparison to a pair of the venerable classic C-12 in drum overhead duties.
Additionally, TELEFUNKEN premiered two proto-type models from the company’s line of dynamic range mics. The M82 specialized kick drum mic made its debut, along with the just released M81 instrumental microphone. Featuring a flatter frequency response, the M81 was employed for recording toms, and placed next to R-F-T series CU-29 “Copperhead” and AR-51s on electric guitar.
Also in less familiar microphone applications, a pair of ELA M 260 microphones was used to record an upright piano while a proto-type DI and R-F-T CU-29 made their first appearance in a bass recording application. To fill out the session, an R-F-T AR-70 stereo microphone expertly captured the overall room sound.
These files are available for download to the user’s favorite DAW system in 24-bit .WAV format at 44.1k sampling rate. All are welcome to not only audition these files, but to listen to and compare the various “multi-mic’d” scenarios while finding a textural mix balance that suits one’s particular personal sense of aesthetic.
“We encourage listeners to use these files to get familiar with the TELEFUNKEN product line and also fine tune their mixing skills,” says Alan Veniscofsky, director of operations.
Listen to Andrew Coles’ “Dead Roses,” recorded at Germano Studios in NYC.
Go here to learn more about the TELEFUNKEN Session Files.
Find out more about the Andrew Coles session here.
Indiana Officials Issue Safety Violations For State Fair Stage Collapse
The Indiana Department of Labor today cited concert and event production company Mid-America Sound Corp. of Greenfield, IN with three safety violations in the collapse of an outdoor stage at the Indiana State Fair last August just prior to a show by the country band Sugarland. Seven people died and 58 were injured after the stage collapsed when a gust of wind toppled equipment that hung over the stage.
CBS News also reports that Mid-America Sound Corp. has been issued a $63,000 fine, being the company that provided the stage rigging and chose the workers to erect it.
“The evidence demonstrated that the Mid-America Sound Corporation was aware of the appropriate requirements and demonstrated a plain indifference to complying with those requirements,” Commissioner Lori Torres stated in the report.
The department also issued a small fine against the Indiana State Fair Commission for “failing to conduct proper safety evaluations of its concert venues,” and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 30 also came under fire, accused of five workplace violations.
Sugarland was not penalized, with the agency noting that the band didn’t employ the workers and wasn’t responsible for building the stage.
One stagehand, Nathan Byrd, was among those killed in the collapse. At least nine other union members were injured.
Further investigations are ongoing. The State Fair Commission has also hired Thornton Tomasetti, an engineering firm based in New York City, to investigate the rigging collapse, while Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has hired Witt Associates, a public safety and crisis management consulting firm, to conduct a “comprehensive, independent analysis.”
Allen & Heath iLive For Revitalized Islington Assembly Hall In London
The reopened Islington Assembly Hall in London has selected an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system, comprising iDR-48 and iDR-32 MixRacks with two iLive-T112 Control Surfaces, to manage both front of house and monitors.
Originally opened in 1930, the fully refurbished 800-capacity Hall was reopened in 2010 having fallen into disuse for nearly 30 years. The venue now hosts a busy rota of live music, as well as a vast range of events from conferences and parties to vintage fashion events.
“We chose iLive for several reasons,” explains Dan Turner, events operations manager at Islington Assembly Hall. “First, it sounds great and much better than many other digital desks out there. Allen & Heath clearly spent a lot of time getting the preamps right.
“It’s also an incredibly versatile system in the way it works, and pretty much any input or output can be configured to do what you need it to do. I have mainly used analog desks in the past, and iLive almost feels like it is one as the design is more hands-on than menu driven. This helps you get to grips with the beast a lot more quickly than with other digital desks where features can be hidden in layered menus and thus almost useless in the live environment.”
The venue refurbishment plans did not include the installation of a mixing desk, and as such, no multi-core was installed.
“The beauty of this digital system is that to increase the number of available channels all we need to do is use a larger mix rack, there’s no need to dig up the floor to install a cable. Having the mix rack on stage and the control surface at the rear of the hall connected by a single Cat-5 cable was a big selling point,” continues Turner. “We needed an elegant solution to stage monitoring using as few cables and as little space as possible. Using two iLive systems connected together we have achieved this. All signals are routed to where they need to go without the need for active splits on the floor saving valuable space”
The venue also installed Electro-Voice XLE181 line arrays with additional front fills and subs, and Martin Audio monitors on stage.
“Overall, the system sounds fantastic and will enable us to meet all the challenges that our varied events calendar will throw at us!,” concludes Turner.
Here are some thoughts on doing virtual sound check if you don’t have a DiGiCo or Avid digital console at your disposal.
Disclaimer: This is not going to be exhaustive. There are hundreds of hardware/software combinations that will get you the same result. These are some ideas only.
Also, it should be noted that “cheap” is a relative term. All of these solutions are going to cost money, real money.
However, if you church is serious about raising the level of audio technician performance, it’s money well spent. On we go…
First, let’s define “virtual sound check.” It is simply the ability to record the band with each channel on it’s own track and then being able to play that recording back, in place through the same channels on your console.
To illustrate with a very primitive example, let’s say your “band” is a worship leader with an acoustic guitar. To facilitate virtual sound check, you would need a way to record the vocals and guitar on separate tracks, and you want those sources to come off the board before any EQ or dynamics.
Typically, you’re using direct outputs or the insert outputs. When you get ready to practice, you do a little patching (in software or hardware) and play back that recording through the same channels you use if the worship leader and his guitar were live in the room.
One thing should be immediately apparent here; the bigger your band (and the more sources you have), the more elaborate the system you’re going to need for virtual sound check. If you are running 30-40 inputs every weekend, this post is really not for you as that system is not going to be cheap.
Rather, I’m focusing on those who run fewer than 24 channels per weekend (a number that is not arbitrary, as you’ll see in a minute) and using an analog board. Here are a few ways to get it done.
Audio Interface(s)
The simplest way of doing this job is with a USB or more likely a FireWire interface such as the M-Audio ProFire 2626, a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 or similar interface with 8 analog inputs and 8 analog outputs.
The first thing you’ll notice when shopping for an interface is that manufacturers get very creative in the way they count I/O. For example, the ProFire 2626 is listed as having 26 inputs and 26 outputs, which it does. But only 8 of them are analog.
M-Audio ProFire 2626
And if you’re using an analog console, that’s all you care about. If you have a digital console with ADAT I/O, you gain you an additional set of 8 useable channels.
Now, the catch here is that there aren’t any interfaces with more than 8 channels of analog I/O (at least I can’t find any). So that means if you’re running 12 channels of audio, 4 get left behind. Unless you get creative. You might ask why you can’t just connect two 8-channel interfaces to your computer and send those inputs to your recording software.
The issue is that most DAW software won’t support multiple I/O devices simultaneously. If your DAW of choice doesn’t support multiple I/O devices, there is a workaround, at least on the Mac.
In Audio/MIDI settings, you can create what’s called an Aggregate Device, which allows you to create a virtual device that is made up of two or more actual devices. You then chose the Aggregate Device as your I/O source in your DAW, and all the inputs and outputs on all devices that make up the Aggregate Device are available to the DAW.
So an example system might be made up of two Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 interfaces combined into an aggregate device and recorded using Reaper on a Mac Mini. That would give you 16 channels of recording and playback for around $1500, give or take. That seems pretty reasonable; at least until you consider the next option.
Focusrite Saffire Pro40
Hard Disk-Based Recorders
There exist on the market a couple of hard drive-based recorders, most notably the Alesis HD24. This little 3-rack-space wonder is capable of recording or playing back 24 tracks of 48 hHz, 24-bit audio.
The HD24 has 24 channels of analog I/O (plus 24 channels of ADAT I/O) and costs about $1600. Really, this is the way to go. It requires no computer, is simple to set up and operate and is rock-solid reliable. Add 24 channels of TRS patch cables and you’re done.
Alesis HD24
Other options include the Tascam X-48, which is a full-blown 24 channel workstation (and almost $5,000) and the excellent, but somewhat pricey JoeCo BlackBox, which will set you back almost $3,000 by the time you add a drive.
JoeCo BlackBox
Caveats
There are a few caveats with any of these solutions. First, if your board has direct outputs, it’s a fairly simple matter to patch those direct outs to the inputs of whatever recording solution you use.
Getting back in, however, will require some re-patching. You’ll want to pull your mic inputs, and patch the outputs from the recorder or interface(s) into the Line Inputs on your console.
If you don’t have direct outs, you’ll need to use the inserts. One cool thing about the JoeCo BlackBox is that the inputs are normaled back out to the outputs during every operation except playback.
That means that for recording (or just sitting there), the insert signal is returned and you can continue to use the board normally. When you hit “Play,” it opens the normal and sends the recorded signal back to the return on the board. From a user interface standpoint, that’s really nice. However, it will cost you twice what an HD24 costs…
When using the inserts, you will likely need to push the cables into the console until the first click. An insert jack is a TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) connector, so it has 3 contact points. Most consoles use the ring as the send, so if you push a TS cable in to the first click, you get the equivalent of a direct out (albeit an unbalanced one). Pushing it in all the way will interrupt the signal, so you’ll only do that on playback.
Using inserts is going to mean a fair amount of patching and some experimenting, so don’t decide to try this out at 8:50 on Sunday morning.
Once you get the system up and running like you want, start recording your services in all their multi-track glory. Then during the week, you can practice and experiment just like the band is there, only they aren’t.
Keep in mind, you won’t have any acoustic energy coming from the stage, so things like drums and vocals will be a little different. But this is still a great tool for training and experimenting with various processor settings.
Like I said, this isn’t exhaustive; I only intended to give a few examples. Hopefully though, it will get you thinking about how you can implement a virtual sound check system in your church.
Mike Sessler is the Technical Director at Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, CA. He has been involved in live production for over 20 years and is the author of the blog, Church Tech Arts . He also hosts a weekly podcast called Church Tech Weekly on the TechArtsNetwork.
Tannoy Unveils VLS Series Passive Column Array Loudspeakers
Tannoy has introduced the VLS Series passive column array loudspeakers offering a balance of performance and cost, when active beam-steering may neither be required nor affordable.
The VLS Series is the first Tannoy product to incorporate FAST (Focused Asymmetrical Shaping Technology), which delivers unique acoustic performance benefits. Central to this is its asymmetrical vertical dispersion, gently shaping the acoustic coverage towards the lower quadrant of the vertical axis. By the nature of a typical application, an “ideal” column loudspeaker should be biased in the vertical plane, toward the audience and away from reflective surfaces above (like ceilings) which are detrimental to intelligibility.
FAST also facilitates quicker, easier installation with less need for tilting or specific concern for optimal mounting height. Mounting is handled via supplied wall brackets.
Tannoy has packaged this performance in a slender and narrow profile, aesthetically refined, powder-coated aluminum chassis with curvilinear aluminum grille. Each model is available in either black or white as standard, with custom RAL finishes available at additional cost and lead-time.
Three models are available – VLS 7 (7 × 3.5-inch LF) designed for speech-only applications, VLS 15 (7 × 3.5-inch LF with 8 × 1-inch HF) and VLS 30 (14 × 3.5-inch LF and 16 × 1-inch HF), both of which are designed for more demanding full-range applications as well as speech.
All are IP64 rated for dust and water ingress and are salt spray and UV resistant as well as subject to rigorous high/low operational temperature and humidity testing.
Specification is aided by the addition of an exclusive Tannoy edition of EASE Focus v2.0 software, allowing systems to be designed with predictable results, along with the ability to specify VLS Series in conjunction with Tannoy’s existing column loudspeakers – including I Series and QFlex.
Simply put, if the various software and hardware products you’re using today aren’t going to be around in their current versions for the useful life of the sound recordings you’re creating (i.e. the copyright term), the archived recording must be prepared to weather that obsolescence.
The goal of preparing multitrack DAW data for archive is to minimize the layers of technology necessary to completely reconstruct the master recording in the future.
This article will introduce some basic techniques for creating both Consolidated and Flat Multitracks for archival purposes.
What Is A Consolidated Multitrack?
A Consolidated Multitrack is a digital audio fileset that completely expresses the EDL (Edit Decision List) information from a multitrack master recording. Specifically:
—Each DAW track is expressed as a single, continuous Broadcast Wave file (BWF); —All of the consolidated audio files share the same start times and durations; —All of the consolidated audio files share the same digital audio precisions, i.e. sample rate and bit depth; —All of the consolidated audio files share the same descriptive naming convention, e.g. trackname_songtitle_artistname.wav.
If all of the above specifications are met, a folder containing the consolidated audio files could be used to perfectly reconstruct the multitrack recording as far into the future as the Broadcast Wave file format remains viable.
Since the Broadcast Wave file is a widely accepted standard file format for media producers, its long-term viability (and eventual uniform migration) is virtually guaranteed.
Creating a Consolidated Multitrack:
1. From your last active session/project file, ‘Save As’ to create a discrete file from which you will create a Consolidated Multitrack.
2. Hide or delete any auxiliary signal path to simplify the working environment.
3. If additional Takes or Playlists are to be included in the Consolidated Multitrack, create new tracks to allow all of the source audio to be simultaneously visible/accessible.
4. Using session boundaries, location markers, or some other timeline tool, establish a repeatable global timeline selection that includes all audio from the earliest drop-in to beyond the longest running audio file.
5. Once your global selection is made, use the Consolidate or Merge functions to create a single continuous audio file that expresses the EDL information for each track.
6. Carefully, consistently label all of the newly consolidated audio files to reflect enough information that they could completely identify themselves by name, e.g. bassamp_take2_ohbabybaby_jimmysingsalot.wav
Once the above steps have been followed, a choice has to be made about how to present these consolidated audio files as a discrete multitrack recording for archive.
Minimally, a folder that follows the same naming convention as the consolidated audio files should be created to contain all of the associated audio files and metadata (like screen shots, rtf files containing session notes, credits, etc.). This method works fine, but will always require the multitrack to be reconstructed in a DAW for playback.
Alternately, a facility like Pro Tools’ ‘Save Session Copy’ could be used to create a new, independent playback session for only the archival material.
Using this method one would need to be careful to remove any non-archival audio and metadata from the source session before saving the copy.
This approach would facilitate more convenient short-term use of the archive, but doesn’t actually provide any additional content.
What Is A Flat Multitrack?
A Flat Multitrack is a digital audio fileset that completely expresses the EDL information from a multitrack master recording, but also expresses some subset of DAW metadata. What metadata is ‘flattened’ into the archive is up to you, your client, or contractual obligations, but it could include:
—Plug-in processing like amp simulation, ‘printed’ effects from auxiliary channels, or automated processing; —Automation data, like the fader rides on a lead vocal track; —Bounced submixes that would otherwise require reconstructing both complex routing and plugin processing.
It is critically important to note that a Flat Multitrack should never be archived instead of a Consolidated Multitrack, but only in addition. The Consolidated Multitrack is the master recording; the Flat Multitrack (when applicable) is an extension of that master.
Once a Consolidated Multitrack has been created, a Flat Multitrack can be created by repeating the process with a few additional steps:
1. From your last active session/project file, ‘Save As’ to create a discrete file from which you will create a Flat Multitrack.
2. Hide or delete all auxiliary signal path and metadata that is not going to be flattened.
3. If additional Takes or Playlists are to be included in the Flat Multitrack, create new tracks to allow all of the source audio to be simultaneously visible/accessible.
4. To flatten real-time processes like automation, time-based effects, or submixing, bounce/re-record the appropriate track outputs to new tracks, and remove the source tracks from the session. Note what metadata has been flattened.
5. Flatten additional metadata by processing audio files with offline versions of real-time plug-ins. Note what metadata has been flattened.
6. Make a global timeline selection, and use the Consolidate or Merge functions to create a single continuous audio file that expresses the EDL information for each track (including whatever metadata has been flattened into them).
7. Carefully, consistently label all of the newly consolidated audio files to reflect enough information that they could completely identify themselves by name, e.g. bassamp_take2_flatcompression_ohbabybaby_jimmysingsalot.wav
Since it would be unlikely that every track within a DAW project would have metadata worth flattening, there will likely be some tracks that remain in their consolidated form. I would caution that it would be both redundant and confusing to include these audio files in a Flat Multitrack archive.
Preferably, an additional folder of flattened audio files can be clearly labeled, and organized with the Consolidated Multitrack data. Future users can then reconstruct the Consolidated archive, and opt-in to any of the available, clearly labeled, flat content.
Contents Versus Carrier
It should be noted that this tutorial only addresses the form of the contents of a multitrack archive. The question of how to effectively store this information is an entirely additional- though related- matter.
Anybody who is serious about the subject should examine the Producer and Engineers Wings’ “Recommendation for Delivery of Recorded Music Projects” (pdf). It contains an example of a widely-adopted approach to redundant archival storage.
Rob Schlette is chief mastering engineer and owner of Anthem Mastering (anthemmastering.com) in St. Louis, MO, which provides trusted specialized mastering services to music clients across North America.
Hosa Technology Mogan Elite Omni Earset Microphone Now Shipping
Hosa Technology has announced that the new Mogan Elite omni earset microphone, the newest addition to the Mogan brand of subminiature microphones, is now shipping.
The Mogan Elite earset mic is outfitted with a moisture-resistant, 2.5 mm omni-directional capsule with -45 dB nominal sensitivity that is designed to be positioned farther from the user’s mouth.
Delivering full-frequency audio performance (20 Hz – 20 kHz) and high gain before feedback, this microphone provides a natural, resonant sound quality.
The new mic also offers an innovative earpiece designed to be worn comfortably for extended periods. With a fleshy ear cushion concealing its fully adjustable, sprung-steel (stainless) mechanism, the mic feels natural when worn over one’s left or right ear.
An interchangeable cable system allows connection of the mic to most popular wireless transmitters, including models from Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, and Audio Technica. Each mic ships with a detachable, Kevlar-reinforced cable with a hardwired connector.
The new Mogan Elite Omni Earset Microphone is available in either beige or black to blend with a variety of skin tones. Additionally, each unit includes a foam windscreen and a single mic clip. The entire package ships in an impact-resistant, compression-molded neoprene zippered case.
Jonathan Pusey, Hosa Technology director of sales and marketing, states, “The Mogan Elite earset microphone delivers impressive performance, enabling this microphone to be right at home in a number of high-end applications, including broadcast and theater, in which audio performance is critical. In addition to world-class audio quality, the Elite earset mic is very comfortable to wear and may be worn without distraction for hours on end.
“The earpiece is highly adjustable and the boom mechanism facilitates precise positioning of the microphone’s capsule. I am quite confident the Elite earset will be right at home in a number of demanding audio environments.”
Engineer/Producer Matthew Noble Utilizes Metric Halo ChannelStrip On Recent Projects
For more than three decades, Matthew Noble has been at the forefront of pop music as a session guitarist, programmer, songwriter, engineer, and producer, with an engineering client list that includes Rihanna, Diana King, Southside Johnny, and Rod Stewart, among many.
These days, he performs most of his work out of the Loft Studios in Bronxville, NY and in the newly renovated Riverworks Recording in Dobbs Ferry, NY. Recent work with the musical Big River and gospel artist Rell Holland & Experience have put Noble’s new favorite plug-in, the Metric Halo ChannelStrip, through its paces.
“I tried Metric Halo’s ChannelStrip because some other people that I respect were using it,” explains Noble. “My friend Keith Brown, who is a well-known Nashville songwriter, was working on a project with Billie Decker, who is one of the hottest mix engineers in country music. Keith’s enthusiasm for the plug-in, together with his revelation that Billie uses it ‘all over the place,’ was enough to motivate me to check it out.”
Riverworks Recording boasts a huge, luscious acoustical space, which has changed the way both Noble and the producers and artists he works with approach the recording process.
“So much of my work there has involved tracking live instruments, as opposed to the ‘virtual players’ that live inside our modern computers,” he says. “While it’s been a refreshing change, it has also brought with it challenges. For example, getting a great drum sound and a great overall mix with the new expectations for how long things take these days is not easy.
“ChannelStrip has been very helpful because all the functions that I need to access quickly are all in one plug-in. These include the less ‘sexy’ functions, such as phase reverse and multiple trims, in addition to full-blown and flexible dynamics and equalization. Having everything in one plug-in has greatly improved my workflow.”
Noble often puts Metric Halo’s well-crafted presets to use: “The ChannelStrip presets are a great starting point. They’re especially useful in a time crunch, when the client is breathing down your neck. The acoustic guitar and drum presets are often spot on, right out of the gate. When I tweak, the informative GUI lets me know exactly what I’m doing.”
Of course, the best GUI in the world is useless if the algorithms behind it don’t cut the mustard. It’s here that Noble finds it really shines. “ChannelStrip has a great sound,” he said. “Like an SSL, it can be very aggressive and not at all subtle. Despite all its flexibility and sonic muscle, it has remarkably low CPU drain, which means I can use it whenever I need it.”
Enter The PSW Sweepstakes To Win An Audio-Technica Microphone Or Headphones
Enter to win an Audio-Technica microphone or headphones in the first PSW Sweepstakes of 2012.
ProSoundWeb is giving away three Audio-Technica 50th Anniversary Limited Edition products each month in January, February and March.
Specifically, for each drawing, we’re giving away:
1st prize - AT4050/LE Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone —Special 50th anniversary edition in silver-colored metallic finish with etched-on serial number and carefully crafted wooden carrying case —Transparent uppers/mids balanced by rich low-end qualities combine with advanced acoustic engineering for extensive performance capabilities and highest quality —Dual-diaphragm capsule design maintains precise polar pattern definition across the full frequency range of the microphone —The 2-micron-thick, vapor-deposited gold diaphragms undergo a five-step aging process so that the optimum characteristics achieved remain constant over years of use —Three switchable polar patterns: omni, cardioid, figure-of-eight —Transformerless circuitry virtually eliminates low-frequency distortion and provides superior correlation of high-speed transients —State-of-the-art surface-mount electronics ensure compliance with A-T’s stringent consistency and reliability standards —Switchable 80 Hz hi-pass filter and 10 dB pad —Custom shock mount provides superior isolation —Valued at $995.
2nd prize - ATM25/LE Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphone —Exclusive 50th anniversary edition in silver-colored metallic finish with serial number etched on the surface —Ideal for kick drum, toms, and other highly dynamic instruments —Handles very high SPL at close range —Big, warm low-frequency response with excellent presence —Multi-level grille and rugged construction —Offers very full sound on close-up vocals and dialogue —Corrosion-resistant contacts from gold-plated XLRM-type connector —Rugged, all-metal design and construction for years of trouble-free use —Valued at $489
3rd prize - ATH-M50s/LE Professional Studio Monitor Headphones —Special 50th anniversary edition in silver-colored metallic finish —Exceptional audio quality for professional monitoring and mixing —Collapsible design ideal for easy portability and convenient storage —Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems —Closed-back cushioned earcup design creates an outstanding seal for maximum isolation —Adjustable padded headband for comfort during long mixing/recording sessions —Single-sided straight cable terminates to gold-plated mini-plug with screw-on 1/4-inch adapter —Valued at $209
Go here to enter the latest PSW Sweepstakes. Note that entrants are asked to register to receive the ProSoundWeb Daily e-newsletter.
Rat Sound Deploys L-Acoustics KARAi At Orange County’s Galaxy Theatre
Orange County’s 40-year-old Galaxy Theatre changed ownership back in August and has now undergone a significant metamorphosis into two separate live performance spaces: the intimate 350-capacity Constellation Room and much larger Observatory, which can accommodate an audience of over 1,000.
One of the primary improvements made to the venue in the process was the installation of L-Acoustics KARAi line source arrays provided by Certified Provider Rat Sound Systems of Camarillo, California.
Jon Reiser, along with business partner Courtney Michaelis and a third silent partner, are the team behind transforming the Galaxy from a lackluster aging venue into an edgy hipster hangout that consistently attracts some of the brightest up-and-coming acts like Foster the People, Crystal Castles, The Naked and Famous, Young the Giant, Tyga and Warpaint. Reiser is no stranger to SoCal’s indie music scene having previously spent five years as a partner and talent buyer for Costa Mesa’s Detroit Bar.
Shortly after purchasing the Galaxy, Reiser brought in L.A.‘s Foster the People to play the newly dubbed Observatory. Knowing that the club’s pre-existing PA system wouldn’t be adequate to cover the crowd for such a popular band, he turned to Rat Sound to provide a temporary dV-DOSC rig while simultaneously initiating the design process to permanently integrate a new KARAi system.
Today, the Observatory features left and right arrays each comprised of six KARAi elements flown adjacent to two SB18i subs. Four SB28 subs are also located down on the floor—two housed in bunkers inside the stage plus one on each side of the stage.
A custom enclosure built across the front of the stage houses four coaxial 8XT front-fill speakers, while a single 115XT HiQ flown in the center of the house two feet downstage of the stage lip serves as a downfill. All systems are powered and processed by LA8 amplified controllers housed in racks at the monitor mix position.
Rat Sound provided not only the installation of the L-Acoustics arrays, but the rest of the venue’s sound and lighting systems and acoustic treatments as a full turnkey package.
Rat Sound director of installations David Myers notes that the rental dV-DOSC system helped minimize the venue’s downtime to only two nights despite the significant amount of remodeling and equipment upgrades.
“With the new acoustic treatments and KARAi system in place, the Observatory sounds phenomenal,” says Myers. “KARAi is extremely coherent; it’s like having the artist right in front of you in a studio environment. And the bands, engineers, promoters and audiences are all loving the sound. The Naked and Famous recently played the room and their front-of-house engineer told us after the show that we had totally spoiled him for the rest of the dates on their tour.”
Reiser adds, “The Naked and Famous immediately booked another show with us for March and I know that a big part of that was because of how impressed they were with the system and production level. We’ve had a lot of really great shows in here lately—including Scott Weiland, two nights with Young the Giant, and an epic New Year’s weekend with ATB and Tiesto—and everyone’s walked away at the end of the night being very happy with the house sound.”
Revolabs Enhances HD Control Panel For Entire HD Line Of Wireless Microphone Systems
Revolabs has announced that the company’s Windows-based HD Control Panel software has been enhanced to support the entire HD line of wireless microphone systems, bringing the monitoring and configuration tools found on the Executive HD to the HD Single/Dual Channel and the HD Venue systems.
In addition, based upon customer feedback, Revolabs has created several new features for the HD line, including a DIP switch display, mute groups for Executive HD systems, and an expanded control system API.
With the HD Control Panel, users can monitor and control networked HD wireless microphone systems from a single PC software program with an intuitive graphical user interface.
The HD Control Panel allows users to control the mute status and gain of each microphone, and to lock out presenters from using the mute button.
The software also provides the ability to monitor each microphone closely for its real-time status, such as battery level.
The monitor tab of the HD Control Panel has been enhanced to provide the DIP switch status for each system, eliminating the need to look on the back of the system to see which switches are active.
Revolabs has also added several commands to the HD systems’ API, allowing A/V control systems to send global commands, turn off microphones, and even initiate pairing, all from the convenience of a room’s touch panel.
Finally, Revolabs has bolstered the Executive HD with the ability to assign systems to mute groups. This allows all systems in a building to be bussed together without muting each other, unless they are assigned to the same group.
“We are pleased to bring the capabilities of the HD Control Panel to users of our HD Single/Dual Channel and HD Venue systems, in addition to offering powerful new features across our entire HD line,” says JP Carney, CEO of Revolabs. “We take pride in listening to our customers as we continually strive to meet their evolving needs. New features, such as those released today, are a direct result of customer feedback.”
The enhanced HD Control Panel and new features are available through a firmware update (version 2.6.1) to both the base station and microphones. The update is available now at www.revolabs.com/downloads.
New feature enhancements require a Gold unlock code provided as part of a Revolabs service plan. Any system that has previously been unlocked will automatically receive the new features upon completion of the firmware upgrade..
One-Stop Shopping: Captain, What Does It Mean, This Term “Full Production”?
The sound company’s job is to advance the show with the artist and show up with a rig. Not so when the full production falls into your lap.
Sound companies handle “one-off” shows every day. It’s usually formulaic, and after a while, we do it by rote.
But what happens when the client wants one-stop shopping? This is also known as “full production” or “turn key service,” and it’s quite a bit more involved than an average show. Generally months of planning and coordination are needed, as well as work with a number of subcontractors. It just can’t be done by the seat of the pants.
Normally, when a sound company is hired for a show, the client is a promoter or a venue. They provide the stage, they provide the power, and they provide the labor. The sound company’s job is to advance the show with the artist and show up with a rig. Not so when the full production falls into your lap.
Particularly for large, multi-stage festivals, hiring a single source to handle all the entertainment elements of the event is almost a necessity. The event director has too many other things to handle to have to worry about the details of his entertainment.
Steve Rosenauer, director of the St. Mary’s University Alumni Association Fiesta Oyster Bake in San Antonio, Texas, once told me his definition of full production: “As a client, full production means working with a knowledgeable and experienced company that can produce a turn-key operation with regard to organizing, building and operating the necessary staging, sound, lights and equipment needs, with all meeting the negotiated specifications of the event as well as the bands. A company that does this can greatly enhance the quality of the event and provide a solid peace of mind to the entertainers and the event organizers.”
For the purposes of describing the process of a full production event, I will use the Fiesta Oyster Bake as my example. It’s a two-day, six-stage festival which kicks off San Antonio’s annual Fiesta Celebration every April. Fiesta has been ranked as the second largest party in the U.S. (Mardi Gras being first) by the National Meeting Planners Association. (And yes, they bake tons of oysters!) For years, our company, Sound Services, worked with this event. (Note that we recently chose to close the company for reasons completely unrelated to business.)
PREP MAKES PERFECT
In order to be ready by mid-April, we would start working in November. To be fair, we had been doing this event for nearly a decade, and had amassed a team of subcontractors with whom we were all very comfortable. Until a company gets to this point, preparations probably need to commence even sooner.
In November, we would begin talking about what our needs were going to be. Because city electrical inspectors were involved, we checked the City Code Compliance for any new electrical requirements. For example, one year (and for the first time), we were required to ground all of stages to the audio power distribution services, as well provide non-conductive covering of all power cables running in public areas. Not fun to discover things like this at the last minute!
We provided staging, sound, lights, backline, labor and all technical personnel for the festival. Because the client uses many more generators than just ours, they made those arrangements, but they used our generator provider so we were assured that power would not be a problem. The generator provider also stayed in contact on any change orders he received that might affect us.
Also by November, the client usually had more than half of the talent booked, so we got a vague idea of what to expect from headliners’ riders. By December, we started talking with our subcontractors, discussing what had changed from the previous year, giving them the firm dates, and requesting a firm price by January.
After ringing in the new year, and still four months out, it was time to nail down the financials. Be very meticulous with this process! Everything must be committed to paper, and math triple-checked in order to avoid any mistakes that could cost an entire profit margin.
It’s doubly vital to get this facet correct in the first year with an event, because the client will base future projections on those first year costs. Therefore, a mistake probably can’t be made up for next year.
Only after every cost is defined and listed, as well as those of the subcontractors, should the price be committed to the contract submitted to the client. Note: the one thing we found most often overlooked is the cost of a production manager. The hours and hours you spend working on this shouldn’t be done for free!
WORKING IN EARNEST
We would submit our contract on the first of February, with the understanding that requests on artists’ riders would probably cause an increase in total price. By this point, the client had all talent booked, so we could start working in earnest to learn just what those extra costs might be. My goal was to have all this information by the 15th of the month, still two months out.
There is a negotiation with contract riders and advancing the show that can - with some diplomacy - help reduce the number of additional line items for your client. Because most headliners’ riders are based on arena shows, for example, they will often concede some lighting instruments.
On the other hand, you don’t want artist representatives to think your client is cheap, so know where and when to stop asking for concessions. It’s important to manage your client’s expectations in this regard as well. Most touring artists also understand that festivals differ from concerts, so if the stages are adequately stocked to begin with, most of the added line items will be for backline and spotlights.
Once we determined all of the additional artist-related expenses, we submitted a contract addendum. This addendum should include absolutely everything - a. client will begin to lose confidence if presented with more than one price addition. His budget is set in stone by this time, and your math errors and oversights are not his fault.
MINIMUM OF 40
Because Sound Services was responsible for the entire Oyster Bake Festival, not just the two stages we were physically covering, it was imperative that we advance the show with every artist. In this case, we’re talking a minimum of 40 bands, which made for a lot of work. But it accomplished several very important things.
First, we got a thorough look at the requirements of every stage, and were assured that each subcontractor could adequately cover the entertainment line-up. If there was a particularly tough set change on a stage at a particular time, we could arrange to have extra help on hand at that time.
Second, it gave each artist a feeling of confidence to know that individuals who care about their performances run the festival. Third, we established consistency in the way the artists were handled. The subcontracting sound companies all appreciated this.
And fourth, we could apprise artists of the “special quirks” of this festival. For example, it’s held on a university campus that is, itself, located in a neighborhood, not on a major thoroughfare. Getting to the venue is difficult when 80,000 other people are also trying to do the same, and there is no alternate route.
Sometimes when we told first-time performers to allow three hours to arrive, some balked, but we remained adamant. The ones who didn’t believe us were invariably late, which is a no-win for everyone. (By the way, returning artists were never late!)
Further, artists can’t drive to any stages except the main one, because they’re all positioned among campus buildings. For this reason, full backline was provided at every stage, and musicians were discouraged from bringing more gear than they absolutely had to have. To accommodate this, the university set up a team of volunteers to ferry musicians and their gear to the stages. It took several years to streamline this process.
Once all the advance work was complete, we created stage plots and input lists for every stage, and for both days. These were then dispatched to the sound companies working the festival with us.
GETTING CLOSER
A pre-production meeting with the festival committee and all stage managers was held six weeks to two months out. Each committee reported on their progress and, although we weren’t involved in things like pizza ovens and beer sales, it helped us to know what was going to be happening around us.
Entertainment production is an important part of this meeting, and we made it a real bonding experience. Construction of “Stage 1,” for example, meant an entire campus parking lot has to be closed two days prior to the event, and thus it was critical that the timing be executed properly by the university security department.
We also got to meet the stage managers and orient them as to what was expected of them. These folks are critical for smooth-running shows, and we let them know that. While their duties are light, the few things we needed from them are all important to the show.
Other things covered in this all-important meeting were issues of water, green rooms, use of volunteers (there are hundreds!) and getting musicians to the event and their respective stages. Over the years, and learning from our mistakes, we developed methods to efficiently accomplish these tasks, but until you’ve worked with an event for a long time, these issues are extremely important to thoroughly think through. For example, from experience we all learned that as much water as we thought we needed - double it!
At this time, we also walked the campus with the festival director, making note of things like trees that needed trimming or light poles tp temporarily remove. (Grounds and electrical departments need to be notified in advance to schedule work like this!)
WHO’S DOING WHAT
By one month out, we had a firm grip on exactly who was doing what. For example, if there was a sound company short a monitor engineer, this was the time to step in and lend a hand. Each subcontractor provided us with a list of personnel and how many vehicles (and of what type) they would be bringing on site. One aspect to double-check: be sure each contractor is providing enough people. For example, backline duties done properly for six stages requires more than two techs.
At this point, we would tally up all production people (including stagehands and spotlight operators) and provide the festival director with the number of parking passes and wristbands needed. Remember - on a multi-day festival, each person might need a fresh wristband each day. We also padded this number by a few more to replace ones that were inevitably lost.
Very key: the best technical person on staff must be in charge of production management. Even with the best preparations, all kinds of little things can go wrong, especially at multiple stages. One person not involved in production at any one stage has to be free to fight the fires, and this person should be well versed in technical knowledge as well as diplomacy.
Our production manager for the festival spent each day traveling between stages, providing a break to a beleaguered engineer here, dealing with a power problem there, handling a recalcitrant band engineer somewhere else. He also carried a radio for instantaneous contact. And, this person must have healthy legs – in a very crowded festival, a golf cart won’t work!
Three weeks out, we assembled packets for all of the subcontractors involved. These included parking passes and wristbands, a map of the campus showing all stages and parking areas, a complete schedule of the event, and for the sound providers, stage plots and input lists. Load-in times were also provided.
Scheduling personnel is critical at this point. We staggered the load-in times so that we could make the best use of our stagehands. Stagehands have a four-hour minimum, and each is usually scheduled to work at more than one stage during a shift. For load-out, we scheduled a much larger number of stagehands. This schedule was then filed with the labor company as a written work order, and note that this also included spotlight operators as well.
IT’S SHOWTIME!
Two days before the festival, we began to build the stages. The provider arrived with semi-trucks loaded with staging, and we again walked the site with the festival director, spotting the stages, front-of-house risers, spot towers and security towers.
The day prior to opening, we loaded in at our two stages, which then left us free to address the mayhem of everyone else loading in the next morning. The lighting contractor also loaded in with us in order to be out of the way, and this left the lighting directors free to work with headliners who might arrive early. On-site security was continuous at this point.
Day one of the festival would arrive, and we were free to conduct headliner soundchecks on our stages. Fortunately, the first act didn’t begin until 6 pm, so the atmosphere wasn’t too stressful.
The production manager was also available to address the various surprises that unfold, as they invariably will. This is where months of planning pay off and you can look really good to the client, who’s running around putting out all kinds of fires while his production people are calmly doing their jobs.
If all subcontractors are competent and well prepared, the event should run like an average one-off show. One caveat, however: it’s still a multi-day, multi-stage festival, with thousands of people swarming all over, so competent, well-informed stage managers become critical to your existence.
They aren’t needed to get artists on and off the stage – we had already planned that out. They are most definitely needed to competently answer artist questions - “Where are our food coupons?” and “Where is our dressing room?” and the like. They also kept lots of water on ice, and plenty of ice in the ice chests.
The most important thing stage managers did, however, was manage the radios. Each stage had a radio, as did the production manager and the lead backline technician, and they were on a common channel with the event director.
As the production staff performed its various tasks, we didn’t have time to monitor a radio, but when we had a problem or needed help, we simply asked a stage manager to contact whomever we needed. Previously we carried individual radios, but learned that this alternative approach worked so much better for everyone, plus it gave the stage managers a sense of ownership of their jobs as well.
The best advice: “be round.” Roll with the punches and don’t get too excited by the inevitable little surprises that spring up. Make the production of entertainment as smooth as possible and don’t create tension or problems. That’s a big reason you were hired!
THE AFTERMATH
When it’s all over, the results of diligent planning and scheduling should continue to pay off. We found that handling a large number of stagehands at the end of the festival worked best if we arranged for the crew chief to assemble all of them at a pre-arranged site and make assignments from there.
Stagehands were first dispatched to the stages manned by our subcontractors, then re-routed to our stages last. We always got this show loaded out within our four-hour labor minimum, by the way.
The production manager continued to make a circuit of the stages, being sure each stage had its allotted stagehands and collecting any left-behind belongings. We later attempted to repatriate these items with their owners.
When all the dust cleared a week or two later, we sat down and created a recap of the event, and this went into the file for next year. We also sent this recap to the festival director. Included were a summary of any issues that came up, general incidents, what worked well and what didn’t, and suggestions for improving next year’s event.
By working with the client in this fashion, we made ourselves a part of the event team, and enjoyed a multi-year contract. We also ingratiated ourselves to our subcontracting partners, who appreciated the work and reciprocated when appropriate.
It’s just good business to develop this kind of working relationship with your clients and fellow business people, and it leaves you feeling pretty good about yourself as well.
Teri Hogan is a long-time audio professional and was co-owner of Sound Services Inc., a sound company based in Texas.
In this article I’ll explain how I use mid-side (MS) processing on stereo sources for practical or creative effects.
Mid-Side?
Two channels of audio can be combined in a way that gives us control over what is the same in each signal, the middle, and what is different, the sides.
The middle is where the kick drum, snare, bass, vocals and a lot of other instruments are, the sides have any hard-panned instruments and spatial effects like reverb.
It can be pretty interesting to listen to music like this, there can be a lot hidden in the side channel.
MS is also a stereo microphone technique using a cardioid microphone facing the source and a bidirectional mic turned 90 degrees away just picking up ambience.
In this situation the two signals would need to be decoded into stereo. The side mic signal is duplicated, polarity inverted and the two side signals are then panned hard left and right. This is not a true stereo mic technique but can sound very nice. The balance of mid and side signals can be adjusted as needed by changing the level of the three tracks.
You can manually encode and decode stereo files to MS and use mono plugins to process mid or side individually. A lot more plugins have an MS mode now. Many of the modules in the T-Racks suite allow mid side processing, as does Ozone, a few compressors and equalizers and a distortion also come to mind.
You can do this for subtle or crazy effects, its a fun way to experiment with plugins and get some unique sounds.
Loud & Wide
For a recent mastering job I used a Fairchild compressor plugin in MS mode (Lat/Vert) to compress the middle and increase the level of the sides. I did this in parallel so I could blend the effect in easily. I was also using this to get a lot of extra loudness. You can call this parallel MS compression.
Compare -
The master without parallel MS compression: listen
No More Messy Verb
Someone asked ma about clearing up the middle of a mix when using a lot of reverb. Using MS compression on the reverb return can work well. Compress the middle more than the sides and increase the side volume if you want more width.
Here is an example of that on some drums - Steven Slate playing in KONTAKT. The whole kit is sent into Valhalla Room. With the Fairchild after the reverb I’m lowering the middle by 2 dB and raising the sides by 2 dB.
Here is this effect with lots of reverb on the drums: listen
And now with MS compression on just the reverb bus: listen
There is NO compression on the drums themselves, I’m only compressing the reverb return and widening it.
Wacky Effects
Here is an example of what you can do with a stereo loop and any plug-in. This is a little more complicated, and only works if there are hard panned sounds.
The loop I started with had a hi-hat that wasn’t panned very hard - I copied it to a new track, filtered out all the lows, boosted some highs and then panned it hard left. Then I recorded the combined original and panned track to a new file.
Now that I had something on the sides I could mess around with MS processing.
The first thing you have to do is convert left-right to mid and side. I use the free +matrix MS decoder from SoundHack.com. After that I used a delay plugin to add some filtered echoes just to the middle by disabling the right side input.
In the next insert I used a distortion on just the right side. This brought out a lot more of the reverb than was heard in the original loop. Lastly, second MS decoder was used to bring it back to stereo.
SoundHack + matrix MS encoder/decoder.
Here is how the loop sounds now with delay in the middle and distortion on the sides: listen
Pretty cool right!? I hope you have found these tricks useful.
Jon Tidey is a Producer/Engineer who runs his own studio, EPIC Sounds, and enjoys writing about audio on his blog AudioGeekZine.com. To comment or ask questions about this article go here.
Fishman Unveils Triple Play Wireless Guitar Controller
The new Fishman Triple Play Wireless Guitar Controller combines guitar with any virtual instrument or hardware synthesizer to access a wide range of instruments, samples and sounds on stage to expand the depth and impact of live performances.
Triple Play comes with a wireless controller, hexaphonic pickup, and wireless USB receiver. The controller and included software works with industry standard DAWs and vitual instruments and installs quickly on any electric guitar. The system can be easily removed from the guitar because it doesn’t require any permanent installation.
The Triple Play system features several “hold” functions such as sustain, looping, and arpeggiators, along with string or fret splits for multiple instruments.
Also included are menu navigation controls for the included software and a guitar synthesizer volume control. A guitar, mix, synth switch is easily accessible during performances.
A low profile design (less than .5-inch) allows the controller to be left on the guitar and still fit in the case. It operates with a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery (included).
Triple Play’s powered USB wireless receiver interfaces with computers or iOS devices. The system comes with a comprehensive Windows, OSX and iOS software bundle to get users started.
A Triple Play Wireless Guitar Expander option provides additional connectivity for interfacing wireless MIDI signals to computers or iOS devices. It adds a full function USB audio interface with guitar input, bypass and headphone output, MIDI hardware IN and OUT and support for footswitches to extend Triple Play’s capabilities for recording, performing or composing music.
The new Triple Play Wireless Guitar Controller is scheduled for release in June 2012.
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